Battle Of Hudson

Boy wonder. Read my post below because it explains why your damn team is so infuriating to watch. I could’ve taken a nap and not missed anything after the first period.

Enough of the system, we had just as much trouble with your guys. The Rangers trap just as much as the Devils.

Point is that New Jersey got the points, and New York didn’t.

No one complained about Detroit’s “system” last night when they won it 2-0.

That sums it up. Steve will log on later and go ga ga over Brodeur’s “one big save” in the third on Straka. But let’s be honest about that chance. He directed it right into him. Did the Rangers get any clean shots in the slot during this boring predictable game? Not one! How many wide open looks did the Devils get? Oh. I’d say at least half of their 30 plus were great chances. And that right there is the difference.

Another thing. You’re telling me the freaking Devils didn’t take one penalty in this game? They played well but come on. Andy Greene anyone? They’re disciplined but I am tired of hearing Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti sing the praises about it. The NHL loves this team. That becomes obvious when you see how many less times this team has been shorthanded. Go ahead and debate it bud. But the Devils can get away with more stuff than any other team because of their squeaky clean reputation. It definitely helps.

Do I believe the Blueshirts would’ve scored one if they had been lucky enough to get a power play? No. Why? Cause they’re too damn predictable and the Devils PK is no picnic either. In fact, I’d say it was better that they got their chances in the third at even strength. Tom Renney tried the best he could to doubleshift Jagr and play him with other guys. But it didn’t matter. It never does.

I still can’t fathom how Joe M referred to this as another classic. It was far from it. There were two reasons it was close:

1.The Devils were stoned by Lundqvist and also missed some shots.
2.The Devils did what they always do with a lead after two periods. Sat back. That’s why the Rangers had the puck more and even got some shots.

The stat sheet will say Brodeur made 27 or 28 stops for his league-leading eighth blanking of the season. But it honestly felt like 10 or 11. That’s how easy his team makes it for him. You can never get to a rebound. And you sure as hell can’t get a clean chance. That’s my only argument against Brodeur being “the best goalie ever” which some Devil fans will go on to proclaim after he shatters every record. He’s a great goalie but he’s also played on a team that plays disciplined and is always together. Just look at how many times the Devil forwards backcheck or the defensemen are in the right position to block a shot or get in the path of a pass. And you will almost never have a free chance in front of Brodeur because unlike most teams, they make you pay the price.

So go ahead when he destroys Sawchuk and Roy’s records in this new NHL which isn’t quite as offensive as the NHL hierarchy would have believed. If you want to say he is, just remember that he never played with small goalie equipment or in an era when the goalie was at the shooter’s mercy which makes Sawchuk’s 103 shutouts that more impressive. Even if Brodeur had come up in the 80’s when Roy did, he wouldn’t have been able to put up the record breaking numbers he is. The truth is we’ll never know where he ranks among the all-time greats. But he’ll be in there. It will make for a good old fashioned debate at a bar as we get older.

Finally, need proof from a Devils perspective that this wasn’t a great game to watch. My buddy Kraze chimed in with this:

KrAzE96 [10:08 PM]: That was a really bad game to watch
Kovy274Hart [10:08 PM]: it was
Kovy274Hart [10:08 PM]: i really was poed
KrAzE96 [10:08 PM]: I could’ve turned off the “volume” and still gotten the same effect
KrAzE96 [10:09 PM]: I kept switching between that and american idol :-\

And that right there is the proof that there was little entertainment value during this rivalry game. Oh god. Only another three to go. When it’s over, I will be relieved.

This might be one of the most dull games ever. There is nothing going on. And why? Why do you think? It has to do with the damn Devils and their vaunted system which the Rangers have no clue how to break. The score should be about 3-0 after two periods. That’s how dominate the Swamp Rats have been in this one. Brodeur made his two big saves in the first robbing Shanahan and Betts. That’s been it. It’s mostly been all Black and Red. They get all the quality chances and force Lundqvist to make difficult stops. They have caught the Blueshirts flat on changes and in the neutral zone and are generating many chances. It’s amazing it’s not a blowout.

I am resigned to the fact that they will lose to a god damn machine. And then Steve will probably post how great Brodeur was in the third period as his team sat back. Bro. Let’s be honest. This is just brutal to watch. Sorry man. I am expecting a vintage third period.

Can’t someone beat this team?

They’re close to dropping the puck out in The Swamp where the Rangers and Devils will meet for the second consecutive time out there. For some inexplicable reason known only to the moronic NHL powers to be who continue to screw over teams by messing up calls, the two Hudson rivals played the first three at MSG and now will play the next four at CAA before the final meeting in Manhattan.

About as crazy a schedule as it gets. Hard to believe the last meeting will be before February gives way to March, meaning they won’t see each other the last 6-7 weeks of the regular season. Just atrocious. Speaking of atrocious, last night’s meeting between Original Six rivals Detroit and Montreal which was won by the Wings in Hockey Town was their first in three years. And that in a nutshell is this new NHL. So how do you fix it? I wish I knew.

Speaking of crazy, Tom Renney’s lines scream loss tonight:

Straka-Nylander-Jagr
Hossa-Betts-Shanahan
Cullen-Krog-Ortmeyer
Hollweg-Prucha-Orr

What in the heck are three of these lines going to accomplish and why is Prucha being wasted on the stonehands fourth line? Yikes.

Just from watching the MSG pregame show, it didn’t take long for me to get sick when Sam Rosen interviewed Jaromir Jagr about his “shadow” Jay Pandolfo. I am expecting a history making event to take place tonight in the form of this:

Oh. It will happen because they’re the freaking Devils! And boy am I expecting little. So as faceoff gets set, why is Jason Ward the odd man out? Just wondering.

(27-14-4, 58PTS, (23-19-4, 50 PTS,
1st Atlantic, 2nd East) 2nd Atlantic, 7th East)

7:30 PM
The Swamp
TV: FSN NY (Devils Broadcast), MSG (Rangers Broadcast)
Radio: WFAN AM 660 (Devils Broadcast), ESPN AM 1050 (Rangers Broadcast)

Last We Met:
Rags dumped the Devs in Extra Innings of the skills competition. NJ looked to be all but dead until a goal by Langs in the third save their asses.

Season Series:
Rangers lead it 3-1

Leading Scorers
New Jersey
#26 Patrik Elias 12-26-42
#14 Brian Gionta 20-17-37
#23 Scott Gomez 8-27-35
#9 Zach Parise 17-17-34
#15 Jamie Langenbrunner 15-16-31

New York
#68 Jaromir Jagr 17-42-59
#82 Martin Straka 24-31-55
#92 Michael Nylander 15-37-52
#14 Brendan Shanahan 24-22-46
#3 Michal Roszival 5-19-24

Goaltending
New Jersey
#30 Martin Brodeur 27-13-3, 2.04, .928%
#40 Scott Clemmensen 0-1-1, 3.60, .878%

New York
#30 Henrik Lundqvist 19-13-2, 2.90, .900%
#80 Kevin Weekes 4-6-2, 3.39, .879%

Breaking it Down:

The simple fact of it is, at least the way that I’ve figured out, is that the Devils will win if they can get the scoring they need from the right people. Expect someone in the Top 3 (Elias, Gionta, Gomez) to get a goal plus someone from the next 3 (Parise, Langenbrunner, Rafalski) to chip in, add in another forward or defenseman getting a goal and that’s pretty much how the Devils win.

Particularly needing to step up tonight is Jamie Langenbrunner. Doesn’t it feel like it’s been forever since Langs last scored? In fact, it’s been 2 weeks, since these teams last met. He needs to start ripping shots on the power play. The PP is what NJ will need to be effective tonight, since the Rangers are horridly week on the backline.

For the Rangers, it’s always a factor of whether or not Jagr, Nylander, Straka or Shanahan can carry the scoring, and whether or not the D can hold up so that Lundy Bridges can make the saves he needs to make. Expect about 18,000 at the Swamp tonight to watch the Devils get a win. I got a feeling the Devs are gonna bust outta the gate and get a victory.

PREDICTION: Devils 5, Rangers 3.

They lost a tough one to the Lightning on home ice 4-3 before a near capacity crowd in a rare noon start on Martin Luther King Day. For Ted Nolan’s Islanders, it was a missed opportunity against a club they’ve had little success against recently. The latest defeat dropped them to 0-2-1 this season with a final meeting set for March 20 in St. Petersburg.

Their last win against John Tortorella’s club came almost three years ago via a 3-0 shutout at Nassau Coliseum back on March 21, 2004. A month later that same year, they were eliminated during the first round in five games by the eventual Stanley Cup winners.

“It was a tough loss,” losing netminder Rick DiPietro told the AP after finishing with 20 saves to drop his club four points behind eighth in the East Tampa Bay and the seventh ranked Rangers. “That was a big two points we let get away.”

Had they gotten them, they would’ve tied the Bolts in the standings and had a couple of games at hand in what continues to be a tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference. Seven total points separate the seventh seeded Rangers from 14th ranked Florida. So there isn’t much margin for error in what should be an exciting race the final three months.

Truth be told, there isn’t much difference between these clubs which is why when a potential four point swing game takes place, you must take advantage. But against a team they’re battling, DiPietro’s club wasn’t disciplined enough in dropping their fourth straight at home. Ironically, their last victory there came against the archrival Rangers three weeks ago, a 2-0 blanking by the former 2000 first overall pick. If only they could play the Blueshirts more. They’ve dominated the series so far taking the first four with four crucial contests left.

“You have to expect a team like that to do well on the power play,” the frustrated goalie pointed out after his team gave up two power play goals in five chances against. “We’ve got to stay out of the (penalty) box.”

Instead, they once again allowed Islander killer Martin St. Louis to strike for his league-leading 29th goal. The former 2004 Hart recipient has made a living of destroying the Isles. His dominance began during that first round three years ago in which he torched them for four goals including the series clincher against DiPietro in overtime from a sharp angle. Since then, he’s made life miserable for the Islanders by finding the back of the net six times in the last seven Lightning wins totaling nine points (6-3-9) including a goal and assist Monday.

The 31 year-old Vermont product helped put his club up 3-1 after two periods. After Viktor Kozlov cut it to one with a power play goal 1:10 into the final stanza, the Bolts’ waterbug notched a helper on Vincent Lecavalier’s eventual winner just over six minutes later to increase his point total to 62. It tied him with Caps’ sniper Alexander Ovechkin for second, trailing just Sidney Crosby (21-45-66) for the Art Ross.

To their credit, the Isles didn’t quit. Trailing by two, Trent Hunter scored his ninth of the season to cut it to one with 9:20 left. But in a period they controlled outshooting Tampa 16-5, they couldn’t come up with the equalizer to at least get a point. With DiPietro pulled in the final minute-plus, Miroslav Satan came close but Johan Holmqvist held the post. The one-time Ranger stopped 33 Islander shots en route to his third consecutive victory over them. Maybe it’s the logo.

Even though they probably deserved a better fate, the Isles were left with nothing and fell to just 2-7-1 in their last 10. Clearly not good enough if Nolan’s team wants to make the postseason and silence many critics. Something they’re capable of accomplishing. Most nights, the effort has been there. But it’s all about getting more W’s.

Right now, they’re a mediocre 21-20-4 with 46 points, which puts them in a three-way tie for ninth in the East with Boston and Toronto. Both Pittsburgh and Washington are one point behind while Florida trails by three. There’s plenty of time for the Islanders to separate themselves from the pack and challenge both the Rangers and Lightning for the final two spots.

They have 37 games remaining and will need to get back to the formula which worked over a month ago and had them challenging for the Atlantic lead. Now 12 points behind the red hot first place Devils, they’ve got a lot of work to do. The good news is that struggling team captain Alexei Yashin finally scored breaking a 12-game drought. Maybe it will get him going. Since returning from a knee sprain last month, he’s only had points in seven of 15 games. That must change.

They’ll also need lone All Star representative Jason Blake to start finishing again. The gritty 33 year-old Minnesota native is without a goal in his last six. He leads the club with 23 for the season including a team best 11 on the man-advantage. If Blake can rediscover his scoring touch, it should provide a lift.

In the mean time, Nolan’s bunch will look to bounceback Tuesday night against one of those teams they’re competing with in Pittsburgh before traveling to Philadelphia Thursday for the final game before the All Star break. The Pennsylvania trip is a chance to reestablish momentum in what’s been a nice season.

It’s time for their best players to step up.

Isles go down 4-3 against Tampa, boy they cannot catch a break against the Bolts. Lecavalier the winner.

Marco Sturm wins it for the Bruins in a shootout over Buffalo.

Dallas-LA at 4.

No TV outlet for Phoenix-St. Louis at 4.

Calgary in Nashville at 6.

VERSUS doubleheader tonight. No idea who’s calling it. Likely Doc/Random Analyst doing Montreal/Detroit, with John Ahlers and Random Analyst doing Colorado-San Jose at 10.

After a slide of several weeks, the Isles have now earned 5 out of a possible 6 points. I thought they were asleep through the first 1/2 of the Boston game before awakening – they were lucky to come out of that one with two points. They were fantastic against the boring Devils – the only Devils’ goal should have been whistled for a Brylin interference penalty – but they played hard for 60 minutes much like when they play the Rangers. If Nolan could capture that vibe in a bottle and use it in every game the Isles would be in first place.

That’s not to say that their level of enthusiasm and effort is not exponentially higher than the Stirling period but I have noticed a trend. In the beginning of the season, the effort was there consistently almost every night, but lately there are many nights that the Isles show up for only one or two periods. Why? I think they are starting to get too comfortable with Nolan’s player friendly ways. And I think that Nolan has realized this as well. That is why you are seeing more vets getting benched for periods at a time, and also more line shuffling of Vets from 1st line to 3rd line etc. During the past couple of weeks, we have seen Yashin on the pine, as well as Bates, Simon, and Kozlov. We have also seen line combo changes galore. Some of this has been a search for offense and some of it has been a wake up call to under producing vets. Either way it is a smart move by Nolan who knows that the only way to punish a player these days is to take away playing time.

It is hard to predict what the Isles will do next, both on the ice and in the front office. My opinion is that this team will stick around the playoff race if no other top vets get hurt. But this team is just a tad above mediocre and will not be better than what you have seen so far without a front office move or two. But in what direction? Are we buyers or sellers before the deadline? Do we just deal a Bates and Hunter for picks and bring up some kids? And if our kids are so impressive, why aren’t they here already? Of course the newbies need time to develop, but Tambellini, Nilsson, and Nokelainen have all played in the bigs. Certainly one of them should be able to take Bates’ or Simon’s job. And, yes, you need a balance of vets and kids but the Isles already have that in Hill, Sillinger, Blake, Poti, Yashin, Kozlov, etc.

Bates has slowed a step and while I love his spirit, he is doing nothing out there. Simon adds toughness, but he hasn’t really been a physical force on a consistent basis and while his reputation is that of having good hands, I don’t see anything going on in the scoring department.

If I was Snow, err, Wang, err, Milbury, I’d be looking to get the kids into the lineup now. And I’d be trying to line up a second line center as well. With Nilsson and Tambs and a legit second line center (TB give us a call!!), I think the Isles would be a good team, better than average, and could go a couple of rounds in the playoffs.

The Isles have TB, Pitt, and a recently improved Philly team this week. Keep an eye on the TB veteran centers – I still think one of them will be an Islander before long…..

Here’s Dave Strader and Brian Hayward’s recap from MSG:

http://video.nbcsports.com/player/?id=55961